


the sweeter the sun

by SarcasticSargassum



Category: The Penumbra Podcast
Genre: Domestic Bliss, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Other, Sappy, if my last fic hurt you consider this reparations, im not paying your dental bills, oh my god this is so fucking fluffy, theyre in love.......
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-02
Updated: 2020-11-02
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:42:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27352168
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SarcasticSargassum/pseuds/SarcasticSargassum
Summary: “Stop that,” Peter chuckles, and Juno’s stomach really shouldn’t do as many flips as it does at the sound. He can’t see Nureyev thinking, but he knows the thief’s eyes are fixed on a faraway memory. “You know… I think that was one of the moments I fell for you.”AKA: just- the fluffiest thing ive ever written. enjoy.Title from No Plan by Hozier, because of course it is.
Relationships: Peter Nureyev/Juno Steel
Comments: 27
Kudos: 111





	the sweeter the sun

Juno wakes up to an empty bed and a sunbeam sprawling across his chest. 

He sits up slowly, rubbing the sleep from his eye as it adjusts to the soft lighting of the room. The view outside is nice- Callisto is a marvel of terraforming technology, all brightly colored flowers and dense foliage. Nureyev comes into focus, already dressed in a maroon blouse that reminds Juno of a certain flowery alias. Quietly, he slips out of bed, padding across the room to wrap his arms around Peter from behind. The thief’s shoulders stiffen in surprise, then relax, accompanied by a soft laugh as he begins finger-combing something through his hair.

“Well, hello there.” There’s a smile in his voice that never fails to make Juno’s heart feel a little gooey. “Good morning, starshine. Did you sleep well?”

“Yeah, slept great.” Juno grins, burying his face a little deeper into Nureyev's back. “You smell nice. What’s that stuff on your hand?”

“This? It’s called argan oil. It’s supposed to be good for your hair.”

“Mmh.” Juno breathes in deeply, savoring the scent. “You’ve always smelled good, since the day we met. That cologne drove me crazy, you know?” He laughs. “Couldn’t get the smell out of my apartment for weeks. My mind kept… wandering.” Back in the present, his hand starts to wander as well, only to be diverted from its downward course by a playful slap.

“Stop that,” Nureyev chuckles, and Juno’s stomach really shouldn’t do as many flips as it does at the sound. He can’t see him thinking, but he knows the thief’s eyes are fixed on a faraway memory. “You know… I think that was one of the moments I fell for you.”

“What, when you… put cologne in my apartment?” Juno pulls back slightly, brow crinkling. 

“No, no- it’s… silly. You probably don’t even remember it.” Nureyev turns around. He can’t blush, a fact he laments frequently, but all the other hallmarks of being flustered are spread across his face clear as day. Juno thinks, a little breathlessly, that he’s still more beautiful than any sunrise they’ve seen aboard the Carte Blanche. It’s a privilege, getting to see him like this- getting to see _Peter Nureyev_ open and emotional and so gorgeous it hurts. Juno stretches up on his tiptoes so he can press a kiss to his cheek.

“Try me.”

Nureyev fixes him with a look so unbearably _fond_ Juno thinks he might just pass away on the spot. “Alright. It was after we escaped Cecil Kanagawa’s… set, I suppose. You weren’t in the best shape, so I was patching you up, and you asked…” Nureyev’s eyes catch a stray sunbeam and sparkle- actually sparkle, like they’re in one of Rita’s streams- and Juno feels his heart do something he should probably tell Vespa about. “You asked what I ate to smell the way I did. I told you it was cologne, and you said-”

“Never tried eating cologne before,” Juno remembers, groaning slightly. “Seriously, Nureyev? You fell for _that_?”

“So you do remember!”

“Of course I do! It’s not every day I get to make a complete fool outta myself in front of someone so beautiful.” Juno cracks a smile, still a little sheepish. “Fine, then. Why was that the moment you fell head-over-heels in love with me?”

“I didn’t say it was _the_ moment, I said it was _a_ moment.” Nureyev's fangs peep out over his lower lip when he frowns. “You’ll laugh, it’s sappy.”

Juno feigns a gasp. “ _No._ The historically straight-faced Peter Nureyev, _sappy?_ ” He raises a hand to his forehead before snorting. “Shit, I think you’re rubbing off on me.”

“I’m sure I am, dear,” Nureyev says, rolling his eyes. “I suppose… how do I phrase this? When I’m playing a part, I tend to have a very tight hold on my emotions. My emotions _are_ that of the mask I choose to wear.” His hands flutter a little as he talks, and Juno can’t stop himself from reaching out and holding them. Nureyev exhales, squeezing once before continuing. “Rex Glass wouldn’t have laughed at that- but Peter Nureyev would. You… You brought Nureyev closer to the surface than most people ever had, and in that moment, he- _I_ \- liked what I saw.” Nureyev looks back at him, and Juno wants to melt right then and there. “And… as I’m sure you can tell, I still very much do.” He lets out a shaky breath, apparently done. “Juno, are you- _oh.”_

Then he cuts off because Juno, speechless and overwhelmed with the sheer amount of love he feels for the man in front of him, is pulling him down for a kiss. Nureyev’s hands curl against his chest as Juno rubs his thumb over the line of his cheekbone. The world narrows down to the warmth of the sun on his skin and the points where their skin touches, and Juno utters a silent _thank you_ to his past self for sticking around long enough that he gets to have this. If you’d told Juno Steel 10 years ago that he’d be in love with a thief and excited for the future, the lady probably would’ve laughed in your face. He used to think the stuff in romance streams about falling in love with “them” again every morning was bull, some kind of sugary fantasy the directors whipped up to make whatever lonely bastard was watching feel a little happier. It’s not quite as romantic as they made it out to be, sure- Juno’s morning breath is awful and the only thing swelling in the background is the sound of Jet’s valiant battle with the reverse osmosis system- but he gets it.

For just a split second, seeing Nureyev smiling in the light of the sun, Juno has a vision- the same man by his side in a few decades, old enough that his hair’s greying but still with the same sharpened smile. The thought would’ve terrified him less than a year ago, but now…

Juno’s not always better than he was, but the days where he isn’t are getting fewer and further between. Peter Nureyev has found a home, and that home’s name is Juno Steel- and hell, Juno even thinks he might deserve it.

**Author's Note:**

> holy shit i can feel my teeth rotting this is so sickeningly fuckin sweet. i needed something to de-angst-ify after the last fic i posted, so you get... this. I hope you enjoyed!! 
> 
> Comments and kudos mean the absolute world to me, every time someone leaves a comment it makes my whole day. I only have one other TPP fic out at the moment but I'm planning on posting a lot more very soon, so if you liked this stick around and maybe check out the other fics on my account!! 
> 
> Have a wonderful morning/afternoon/night/whenever you're reading this!! <3


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